WASHINGTON – North Dakota Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded $1.5 million to the City of Fargo. This funding was made available through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program and will be used to support a path forward to replace the 12th Avenue North Bridge. In a letter to DOT, the delegation urged for the approval of the city’s request, stressing the importance of the 12th Avenue North Bridge and the critical access it provides to residents in the region seeking health care, the airport and the industrial park.
“The 12th Avenue North Bridge faces a number of challenges in its current condition, including frequent closures due to high water flooding on the Red River of the North, which serves as the border between Minnesota and North Dakota,” wrote the delegation. “We believe that this project meets the requirements and goals of the RAISE program and would provide the City of Fargo the means to study a sustainable path forward towards replacing this critical crossing for North Dakotans and Minnesotans.”
“This $1.5 million RAISE Award for Fargo’s 12th Avenue North Bridge is a fantastic development for the entire Fargo-Moorhead metro area,” said Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney. “In addition to helping to ensure the bridge will be designed to work in concert with the under-construction FM Diversion Project, it will allow the bridge to stay open during 37-foot flooding events. This is especially critical to maintaining direct access to the Fargo Veterans Affairs Medical Center and many other mission-critical amenities. I’d like to express my appreciation to U.S. Senators Hoeven and Cramer, Representative Armstrong and Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg for their work in awarding this vital federal grant to The City of Far More. It will be put to great use in service to our residents and visitors.”
